This is one of the bulls we originally went to the Feltons Dispersal sale for.  He was passed by at the sale so that we could buy a much younger prospect (our co-owned bull, Feltons 621), and pick up a few females to boot.  Fortunately for us, I made contact with the owners of Feltons Jedi a when I was trying to trace down the sire of 621, and in the process I found out they were ready to sell him.  Three other local breeders, which includes: Oualline Polled Herefords, Stewart Polled Herefords, and Willis Polled Herefords were just as excited as we were about getting a second chance at this bull, so we didn't look back and we now are co-owners of this proven trait leader bull.  Although we got full ownership of the bull, ABS Global still has exclusive rights to sell his semen.  However, we can collect and use his semen in our own herds
I.   HUMOR

"Rope 'n Dope"

Many years ago, before we ever got started in the Hereford business, I ran into a little dilemma when it came time to vaccinate a group of weanling heifers.  We were raising cross bred limousin cattle back then, and they weren't near as calm and easy going as these here Herefords....:)  These heifers were located on the patch of land we were building on, and I hadn't taken the time to build a suitable trap, lane and shute to make the job easy.....but I had a plan!  I figured if a cowboy could rope a calf, steer, de horn, vaccinate, and brand em without a shute, then I could easily vaccinate mine without much trouble.  We had horses at the time, but I wasn't an accomplished rider or roper, so me chasing down and pigging em wasn't an option...especially considering their size.  However, I did have the heifers accustomed to the sound of cube shaking in a bucket so I knew I could get them caught or trapped with just a little creative thinking.  The plan was simple (it always is).  I would place a piece of cattle panel in a gate opening and secure it on both sides, leaving just a little bow in the panel.  Next, I would put a bucket on the inside of the gate opening where the gate was hinged, then I would pour some cube in the bucket.  When a heifer ran up to the bucket I would slam the gate closed trapping the animal between the gate and the flexible panel (kinda like making a cow sandwich).  I would have the animal secure, and have access to all it's sides.  To further prevent the animal from moving, making the vaccinations trickier, I would drop a lasso over the head of the animal and secure it to the post so that it couldn't move back.  The trap was constructed, the family was given their assignments (drovers, vaccination assistant, etc.), and we commenced to work.

Everything was going reasonably smooth until we got down to the few.  You know "the few"...the ones who can read your mind,...the ones who figured out the plan,... the ones who look you in the eye and tell you "not today".  There always seems to be those few that don't want to get with the program, but they are the ones which evoke creative thinking on our part, so there is a benefit to these pain in the....as I was saying, they evoke creative thinking....:)  Well, the one good thing to say about these select few is that they always seem to have a strong herd instinct, and want to be where the majority is, so I used that to my advantage.  Since I couldn't coax or trick them in the the trap I would have to catch them into the trap (if that makes sense).  I would have the drovers loop around them and push them a little so the came loping by the gate on their way down the fence line trying to get to the rest of the herd.  I positioned myself  by the gate with the lasso, and when they came trotting by, my meager rope throwing skills would catch one.  I would then quickly wrap the main gate posts and wrestle them into the "V" of the trap.  This worked fine for a couple more, despite their 500 to 600 lb weights,...and then there was "one"!

Yup, you know that one too!  The one that realizes you will be the first to move in a game of chicken...or the one who will always try to make herself taller then you with the raising of her head...:)  Now, the plan was still good, but the problem was that this heifer was not only the heaviest, but she didn't just lope past the gate...she darted.  It took about three attempts to rope this little vixen, and when I finally did get her roped I had to come off my position and stretch to get her.  Now if you have ever used a lasso, you know it is limited in length, and so did I when I realized I had just roped a 700 lb animal running full speed and was no where near my friction posts.  Did I let go?...of course not!   I caught her, and by George I was determined to finish it.  Regretfully, through the years, I have learned that stubbornness and "the few" are not compatible.  Nine times out of ten, "the crazy few" will overcome "the stubborn one"...:)  So, let's slow down time for one second...because that is about exactly about all the time I had to comprehend, devise a plan, react, and come out on top!

The calf was running at break neck speed.  My rope had just met it's mark and it started to feed through my hands at yards per second.  The screams of the family's joy that I had finally caught the heifer seemed to only accelerate the animals speed (lucky me).  I realized I had one shot to make the gate post and get a wrap, but at the same time I realized I would not make it.  I did however, move in that general direction and it at least put me behind the gate...the gate!...that's it!..."wrap the gate" I thought, as the last four foot of rope came searing through my grip...and so I did..or at least I tried.  I suppose instinct and determination kicked in at this point, because some how or another I was able to wrap the rope around my hand  just as it reached the end of it's length, and when the slack between me and the calf played out.  That calf liked to have pulled my arms off when the line got taught.  In addition to that, she pulled me against the gate so hard I though she squeezed all the air out of my lungs.  There I was, arms over the gate hanging on for dear life (and to prevent the relinquishment of a failure to my family), letting the calf pull me and the gate pretty much as far as it wanted to...or until the gate stopped....and it did.  Just my luck my weight and the fact the gate was slightly unlevel caused the outside end to drag the ground halfway through it's 180 degree rotation.  The calf got a friendly reminder she had been caught (although I wish it had taken her clean off her feet), and I got one last gut squeezing arm wrenching surge.  When the calf gave slack I wrapped the gate and eventually was able to maneuver excess slack to the post.  She got her vaccinations, but I was whipped, and I felt like a "dope.....with a rope!"....:)       



The moral of the story: 

The needs of many may outweigh the needs of one, but the determination of one can change the outcome for many!

From a cattle raisers point of view:

Manage your herd to the benefit of the whole herd.  Vaccinate your whole herd annually, and don't just vaccinate the young, the sick, or the animals that are easy to get to.  Because your herd is like a chain, and it's only as strong as it's weakest link!




II.   INFORMATIVE

"Big Red"

My wife just doesn't understand my informative section should be reserved for "necessary" and "important" issues related to the cattle business.  When I told her I was trying to come up with a new topic to use for the informative article in this quarter's newsletter she said "why don't you write about Big Red?".  To which I answered, "No",....but the needs of the "one" outweigh the needs of the many...in this family anyway.....:).  So, I apologize upfront, and take no responsibility for the selection of this months informative content, or as I would call it...."the ramblings about my own truck!"  At the very least, I may be able to relate the need to have good transportation for your cattle or farm operation.

Let's start by answering the first question.  Why would Tina want me to write about "Big Red"?  Because she is all mushy, that's why...hehehe!  Actually, it's because I sold Big Red the other day after many years of good service. Apparently she feels it is necessary to pay proper homage to a vehicle that did such a good job for us....and one, which she likes to remind me of, that I bought from her Daddy!  (I'm sitting here shaking my head side to side).   Big Red was a 1994 F350 Ford crew cab dually, long bed, with a 7.3 powerstroke diesel engine and a standard transmission.  It was dressed out with a chrome ranch hand bumper, chrome louver headache rack, Chrome wheels, caps, window dressings, and hand rails.  It had running boards, an extended visor, a foil, a CB, power windows and door locks, cruise/tilt, and it lit up like a Christmas tree at night (my wife's favorite part).  When we bought Big Red it had about 60,000 miles on it, which was nothing for a diesel, and it shined like a new penny.  As you can tell in the picture below, it still looked good at 13 years of age.  The driver in the picture seems to be showing some age though, so it makes for a good cross comparison...:)
 






























Over the years I removed the rear half of the running boards on each side, and the headache rack because they just weren't practical or conducive to hauling cattle or driving around in the pasture.  Despite the few changes the truck remained a solid workhorse for Double H Farms.  My wife thinks it was flawless and was the best investment we ever made, but she wasn't under the hood and under the truck making the repairs to keep it running either...yours truly was....:)  I put some money in that 'ol truck for sure, but I guess if you were to be technical about it, then it only left me stranded once while I was hauling, and twice total.  Both times I was able to fix the problem (while my wife sat in the truck drinking... tea, I think) and get back on the road within a couple hours.  So, just like my cattle, Big Red was not without fault, but it was dependable for the most part and it performed under some pretty tough conditions, always getting us where we needed to be.

Although most of Big Red's work was local, we picked up and dropped off allot of cattle from Arkansas to Ohio, and from Oklahoma to South Texas.  We also hauled allot of hay over the years, and made allot of shows and sales.  Tina liked it cause when we made those trips she had me cornered for conversation for hours at a time, and there was also those little benefits like eating out and seeing sights...and "side trips".  There is allot to be said for a truck that can pay for itself through the work it does without breaking down in the process, and there is really allot to be said for a diesel engine roar that is loud enough to drown out the conversation in the cab...haha!   I had three trucks at the time I decided to sell Big Red.  Now I'm down to two and the Dodge will be going soon enough.  I found me a newer model Ford F250 crew cab short bed 7.3 diesel with an automatic transmission, power, tilt cruise....arr arr arrh!  It is all I need right now, and I don't have to keep as much rubber on it, or fuel in it!  It may not be as dressed up as Big Red but I can spruce it up a little at a time.  It's a little quieter then 'ol Big Red though, and you know what that means, but at least it has a good stereo and a CD player...:)  Tina likes to drive it better cause it's automatic, and it's "not as fat" in the lane (now my eyes are rolling).  The good thing is she has already approved it for a new ranch hand bumper and step rails...woo hoo!

I was standing at the rear of my new truck the other day coordinating with Tina in regards to where we were going to take Big Red and drop it off.  She was driving Big Red cause I had the new one with a cattle load to deliver which was going in that same direction.  As we got ready to pull off to deliver Big Red to the new owners, she bent over and kissed 'ol Big Red right on the hood, then she said get over here and kiss this truck!  Without saying a word I walked around my new truck, got in it and started to drive off...cause I wasn't kissing no truck!  Then I thought better of myself, so I hollered at her and as she backed out of the driveway....that's when I snapped the picture you see in this newsletter.  Well, she got to drive 'ol Big Red last and I guess it was only right since we were giving up something that she held dear to her.  I never kissed that truck, but I did plenty of talking to it through the years...:)  So, for those of you that are used to seeing us pull up in Big Red, those days are over.  We now have "Mighty Whitey"    






III.  FARM NEWS:


Double H Farms is proud to announce a new partnership with Forge Cattle Co. and their upcoming Herd Sire: FCC M201 JohnPaul S11.  This young bull represents exactly what we were trying to do by crossing two lines of our herd bulls, RF Harvey 1G !7J and Malachi.  Check our site for new pictures and info on "JP" in the next couple of months.  Thank you Rev. Michael Forge!

Two of our DOD's have been flushed, with one more DOD to follow this spring.  Look for sales on some of the resulting Embryo's.

Three young bulls calves are listed on our sale pages.  If you buy them at weaning you will save yourself some money.  Reserve yours now!  (sounds like a used car salesman...hahah)


Notes:

Our herd bull Feltons 621 who is co-owned with Stewart Polled Herefords and Willis Polled Herefords has been placed in the AHA's new non-certificate program. So, if you were considering a Felton's bred bull with a Trait Leader bull for a sire and a DOD for a Dam and didn't want the added expense of buying certificates, then 621 may be what you are looking for.  621 is also in the Top 200 sires in the nation for economic indexes

Due to us selling back quite a few head in the last year, we do not have much to sell.  Call us to find out if we currently have cattle for sale, or just check our web site periodically.  No show heifers will be available for release until June/July, but they can be selected and reserved prior to that date.





IV.   CURRENT/ UPCOMING EVENTS:

Cross Timbers Sale in West, Texas on Saturday March 31st!

The Texas Hereford Assoc. Sale at the W4 Ranch in Morgan, Texas on April 14th

The All Star Sale at Shafer Ranch in Sherman, Texas on May 28th

The Jr. National Expo will be held in Colorado this year!









V.  HEREFORD HIGHLIGHTS:


FELTONS JEDI 154
(04/06/98)

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Tom & Tina
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Spring 2007
Thanks, and keep coming back!! 
and we can also collect and sell embryo mating's.  Jedi is one of the bulls we have collected and have used in select embryo mating's this year.  We also have a small example of his offspring which hit the ground this spring (only one calf from last year).  His calves are better then we expected and we are excited to see how they mature out.  Jedi is a large frame big muscled bull with plenty of eye pigment and a good set of legs.  He is still breeding in the pasture at nearly nine years of age.  His daughters were averaging over 100% in their prospective weaning groups according to AHA statistics up until this year.  That tells us they probably do a good job raising their calves.  Jedi has over 350 offspring recorded with the AHA and has been used in over 274 herds across the nation.  He is a trait leader in four traits, his sire is a trait leader in two, and his dam is a Dam of Distinction.  Jedi has a good set of EPD's and allot of actual data recorded with the AHA.  His calves have come easy and appear to have good dispositions.  One of his sons was a high selling lot in the Bellis Ranch sell two years ago.  We have two good sons of his coming up that are for sale.  If you are interested in a good Jedi son out of a good cow then give us a call or email us.  
We thought we would show you a nice calf from our Herd Bull Feltons Jedi 154.  His calves which came this spring are better then we expected.  Unfortunately, we're only going to have a handful of calves this year due to us selling back considerably these past two years, but we will take a handful of calves like these anyday!
DBLH 154 Samurai T03
Jedi at 8 years
Jedi
Son    Son    Son                             Dau
200
doubleh@vzinet.com
209 CR 4625
Cooper Texas 75432
903 395-2413